Kevin Borjas‘ UFC Vegas 119 fight was expected to be his last. After missing weight by three pounds for his featured preliminary flyweight bout against the undefeated Andre Lima, which cost him 20% of his fight fee, the Peruvian entered the Meta Apex cage with a 1-4 promotional record.

So, it was no surprise that most fans believed that losing to the massive favorite Lima would result in an immediate pink slip for ‘El Gallo Negro.’ Instead, Kevin Borjas pulled off the night’s biggest upset, winning via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) and ending Lima’s unblemished record at 11-1.

However, the win has also sparked intense online debate, with some fans accusing the 28-year-old of weaponizing the rulebook after a dramatic second-round groin strike. The bout took a major turn in the second round when ‘El Gallo Negro’ was left in agony after receiving a low blow.

In the second round, Borjas suffered a severe low blow that caused him to writhe on the canvas and resulted in a prolonged five-minute delay in the bout. The Peruvian used nearly every second of his five-minute recovery time, visibly struggling even to walk back to his corner. However, as the fight resumed, Borjas surprisingly exploded out of the gate, tagging Andre Lima with a big combination and eventually securing a late takedown.

And as expected, many viewers found the abrupt transition from near-debilitation to high-speed offense almost too unbelievable. However, fans who believe the 28-year-old exaggerated the injury should recall that fighters have endured some truly horrible low blows in the past and still managed to bounce back.

Back at UFC 326, Cody Garbrandt was hit so hard twice below the belt by Long Xiao that he puked into a bucket during his recovery, yet he still managed to dig deep and win a unanimous decision.

Borjas showed a similar grit, maintaining his composure throughout a wild third round in which referee Kerry Hatley further penalized Andre Lima for grabbing the cage. However, for many fight fans online, the result still felt a bit unfair.

Fans go off on Kevin Borjas’ quick recovery at UFC Vegas 119

The quick shift from a fighter who looked absolutely done to a reinvigorated striker sparked a big wave of skepticism on social media, with many fans saying Kevin Borjas was only looking for a breather.

“He was faking. No way you go from ‘I can barely stand’ at 4:50 into the five-minute allowance to throwing the kicks he did within 20 seconds of restarting,” one fan wrote bluntly on X.

Another critic agreed, arguing it was a tactical move by the 28-year-old: “He was milking it for cardio, to recover from the leg kick damage, and to offset the pressure.” A third fan noted, “IMO, he was sandbagging a bit on the low kick—glued to the canvas, unable to walk, then… the 5-minute mark hit, and he was more agile than ever.”

Other critics decided to downplay his tactical success, citing his back-foot approach: “Wins by running away for 15 minutes. Imagine missing weight by three pounds just to spend 15 minutes running.”

On the flip side, plenty of fans were simply stunned by Lima’s inability to handle a fighter who was already compromised. “Andre Lima couldn’t even beat a fighter who lost a f—— nut during the fight,” one fan joked, while another added, “Lima needed that humbling. Borjas fraud-checked Lima like crazy.”

For the Borjas supporters, the comeback was nothing short of heroic. “That shot had real bite,” a fan pointed out. “You couldn’t more accurately put one into a dude’s ‘meat n two veg’ if you tried. Good comeback!”

Another celebrated the fact that the bout didn’t end in an anti-climactic foul stoppage: “It clearly seemed headed to a No Contest. Good thing he didn’t quit.”

With his back against the wall, Kevin Borjas managed to salvage his UFC career tonight at UFC Vegas 119. He may not have gained many new fans with his weight miss or defensive tactics, but ‘El Gallo Negro’ did everything he needed to do to survive another day on the roster.